Veteran’s Plateau Altar
11-02-2022, 03:39 AM
OOC: Obviously set before Zee's offering
Calm now, Aris meandered slowly through the unnatural autumn of the plateau. She'd left her new lover in the soulless forest and made her way here to assuage her curiosity about some odd warlike statue thing that had apparently appeared there. There was one in the soulless forest too, but she'd thought it best to get out of there as soon as possible so that the tiger guy didn't get too attached. She'd probably find him again later, but it would be a good idea to start things off the way she intended them to go. No strings, free and clear, no attachments. So she'd come here instead. She'd head down to the Hallows after, to see Briar's brats and make sure her mom was doing ok after the long journey, and she supposed make sure none of her younger siblings had managed to get themselves killed yet. Yawning and stretching, she made her way up to the statue to give it a good look over. It took her a moment to realize that the critters there seemed to be expecting something, and there'd been some words that she'd ignored. Thinking back, it was something about making an offering. What, like to a god or something? Aris grinned, rolling her eyes a little. Discretely. "Sure, if your god can give me prowess in battle or something, he can... have my firstborn child I guess." She laughed, smugly confident in the herbs she took to prevent that and completely unaware of the lives she actually did have beginning within her. As a gesture of goodwill and to pretend to play along, she plucked out one of her spines along her shoulders - ouch, but oh well it would grow back - and tossed it up on the pile of stuff. "There you go, all symbolic of my firstborn, and whatever."
The air is oppressive as you give your offerings, it's as if every set of eyes in the plateau is on you, and judging you. The tabby audibly sighs and nods to itself, muttering inaudibly to a little white rat, glancing in your direction as it speaks. You watch it for a moment, and are about to turn and go when…
You are in a den, your den. The air is thick with sweat and blood. 4 little bundles lay nursing at your stomach but you cannot bring yourself to look at them. To look down and see 4 tiny, perfect little copies of you. Not a single strand of fur out of place, not a single shade even remotely off. They are all mirror images of each other, and you. And it deeply unsettles you. Time moves differently around you than it ever has, one moment you have 4 newborns at your side, and the next you are watching them bounce and play outside for the first time. But they are you, they laugh the way you do, they tell the same jokes you did as a child, each of them repeating them back and forth in a chorus of identical voices. Others tell you they are gorgeous, they ask who the father is, say this one must have his eyes, that one must have his nose… But you know they are all lying, they are all you. Worst of all they tell you how lucky you are to have 5 healthy children… You’ve never had 5, you’ve always had 4
They grow, and as they do they are still you. They do what you do, they are interested in what you are interested in. You realized a long time ago that you have never heard them say anything you’ve never said before. You also realized a long time ago, no one is lying when they say they do not see what you see, do not hear 4 identical voices, parroting your words back to you, echoing in your head, you are the only one who sees 4 identical yous. Some nights you wake up in a cold sweat, suddenly unsure if you’re even the original you. You do not think you love them, do not think you can. You are unsure if you’re the real you, you are unsure if you’ve ever been the real you. Who is the missing 5th child? Do they look just like you? Or are you the 5th child?
You come too and realize you are covered in a cold sweat, you do not feel connected to your body, which seems to thrash without your meaning too. The tabby sits nearby, not looking at you but giving instructions to the other familiars to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, then it looks at you, meeting your wide horrified gaze, and sighs. “It is one thing to make a promise you can’t keep in ignorance, it’s another to knowingly never intend to hold up your end of the bargain.” There is an edge to the cat’s voice, but it softens slightly as it speaks next. “I don’t know if it’s lucky or not that it seems you are mistaken.” The cat gets up then and with a flick of its tail the warm bodies around you rise, familiars who glance at you with something akin to disdain, leaving you alone and cold on the ground. You are still struggling to feel connected, to feel right in your body, and a pit forms in your stomach, a dread you cannot name for the coming days, for reasons you don’t know yet, but soon will.
You have received:
280 Gemstones have been removed from Aris’ account.
Calm now, Aris meandered slowly through the unnatural autumn of the plateau. She'd left her new lover in the soulless forest and made her way here to assuage her curiosity about some odd warlike statue thing that had apparently appeared there. There was one in the soulless forest too, but she'd thought it best to get out of there as soon as possible so that the tiger guy didn't get too attached. She'd probably find him again later, but it would be a good idea to start things off the way she intended them to go. No strings, free and clear, no attachments. So she'd come here instead. She'd head down to the Hallows after, to see Briar's brats and make sure her mom was doing ok after the long journey, and she supposed make sure none of her younger siblings had managed to get themselves killed yet. Yawning and stretching, she made her way up to the statue to give it a good look over. It took her a moment to realize that the critters there seemed to be expecting something, and there'd been some words that she'd ignored. Thinking back, it was something about making an offering. What, like to a god or something? Aris grinned, rolling her eyes a little. Discretely. "Sure, if your god can give me prowess in battle or something, he can... have my firstborn child I guess." She laughed, smugly confident in the herbs she took to prevent that and completely unaware of the lives she actually did have beginning within her. As a gesture of goodwill and to pretend to play along, she plucked out one of her spines along her shoulders - ouch, but oh well it would grow back - and tossed it up on the pile of stuff. "There you go, all symbolic of my firstborn, and whatever."
NPC:
The air is oppressive as you give your offerings, it's as if every set of eyes in the plateau is on you, and judging you. The tabby audibly sighs and nods to itself, muttering inaudibly to a little white rat, glancing in your direction as it speaks. You watch it for a moment, and are about to turn and go when…
You are in a den, your den. The air is thick with sweat and blood. 4 little bundles lay nursing at your stomach but you cannot bring yourself to look at them. To look down and see 4 tiny, perfect little copies of you. Not a single strand of fur out of place, not a single shade even remotely off. They are all mirror images of each other, and you. And it deeply unsettles you. Time moves differently around you than it ever has, one moment you have 4 newborns at your side, and the next you are watching them bounce and play outside for the first time. But they are you, they laugh the way you do, they tell the same jokes you did as a child, each of them repeating them back and forth in a chorus of identical voices. Others tell you they are gorgeous, they ask who the father is, say this one must have his eyes, that one must have his nose… But you know they are all lying, they are all you. Worst of all they tell you how lucky you are to have 5 healthy children… You’ve never had 5, you’ve always had 4
They grow, and as they do they are still you. They do what you do, they are interested in what you are interested in. You realized a long time ago that you have never heard them say anything you’ve never said before. You also realized a long time ago, no one is lying when they say they do not see what you see, do not hear 4 identical voices, parroting your words back to you, echoing in your head, you are the only one who sees 4 identical yous. Some nights you wake up in a cold sweat, suddenly unsure if you’re even the original you. You do not think you love them, do not think you can. You are unsure if you’re the real you, you are unsure if you’ve ever been the real you. Who is the missing 5th child? Do they look just like you? Or are you the 5th child?
You come too and realize you are covered in a cold sweat, you do not feel connected to your body, which seems to thrash without your meaning too. The tabby sits nearby, not looking at you but giving instructions to the other familiars to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, then it looks at you, meeting your wide horrified gaze, and sighs. “It is one thing to make a promise you can’t keep in ignorance, it’s another to knowingly never intend to hold up your end of the bargain.” There is an edge to the cat’s voice, but it softens slightly as it speaks next. “I don’t know if it’s lucky or not that it seems you are mistaken.” The cat gets up then and with a flick of its tail the warm bodies around you rise, familiars who glance at you with something akin to disdain, leaving you alone and cold on the ground. You are still struggling to feel connected, to feel right in your body, and a pit forms in your stomach, a dread you cannot name for the coming days, for reasons you don’t know yet, but soon will.
You have received:
280 Gemstones have been removed from Aris’ account.
Current time: 11-24-2024, 06:18 AM
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